Jason Bagenstose-Schuylkill Valley

Panthers’ head coach Jason Bagenstose has been telling Lekaiah Solomon to look to score more. The 5’8 senior took that advice to heart on Tuesday in a key crossover matchup with Division 4 leader Brandywine Heights. Solomon finished with a game-high 13 points, two shy of her career-best, in a 30-26 victory. Her clutch free throws with 16 seconds left gave Schuylkill Valley a 28-26 advantage. Bagenstose said Solomon was exactly who he wanted at the line in that situation. She contributed in every way against the (10-2, 6-1) Bullets. Solomon ended up with eleven rebounds and eight steals. The (13-1, 6-0) Panthers forced 26 turnovers. Senior guard Jadyn Heck-Hoppes added seven points. I asked Bagenstose how he gets his players to buy in on the defensive end. They didn’t allow more than eight points in any quarter. Schuylkill Valley came into this one giving up just 31 points per game, second to Brandywine Heights in the Berks League. It turned out to be a defensive battle as expected. The Panthers jumped out to an early 10-2 advantage. They were in front 18-14 at halftime and 23-22 after the third quarter. The Bullets, who were averaging 44 points, took their first lead with less than three minutes to go on Addison Benner’s turnaround shot in the lane. The promising 5’11 freshman finished with a team-high nine points. Sophomore Olivia Moyer was fouled on a drive with eleven seconds left. She had to be helped off the court. Caroline Fenstermacher came off the Brandywine Heights’ bench to shoot the free throws for Moyer. She missed both and Schuylkill Valley tracked down the loose ball near midcourt. Sophomore point guard Natane White sank two free throws to ice it. The Panthers went 12-21 from the stripe, while the Bullets were 3-10. After winning its first ten games, Brandywine Heights has dropped two straight. The Bullets lost 51-42 to Pine Grove on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ winning streak was extended to four. Bagenstose told me that this year’s team gets along better than any team that he has coached in basketball and soccer. There are four seniors in the starting lineup including leading scorer Madison Ziska. She’s committed to Mansfield for track & field. We also discussed the fan support in Leesport. Schuylkill Valley held a “Gold Out” to raise money for the Four Diamonds organization which fights childhood cancer.